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  1. Get Fit Guy

    Friday, May 24, 2013

    One of the unfortunate laws of life is that man cannot exist on Totino's Party Pizzas alone.  I tried diet supplements, but a trip to the emergency room and a blood panel taught me that just because Mt. Dew is green doesn't mean it contains any vegetables.  
     
    Turns out if you want to pour food-like items into your gaping maw as often as I do you need to sprinkle in a little exercise here and there.  You can get as ripped as you like, or you can be like me and just try to keep your heart from getting too enlarged.  
     
    But where to start?  Most people would tell you to just go get a pair of sneakers and start running, but have you been in a shoe store lately?  It's a labyrinth of choices!  I walked into a sporting goods store and had to sit down with my head between my knees.  That was mostly due to my uncontrolled blood pressure, but also because I didn't know which way to go.

    Now there's help.  Now there's the Get Fit Guy podcast.
     
    Relevant Links:
     
    Host Ben Greenfield is here to provide you with a quick hit of information while you're... I dunno, doing warmups?  Deciding what belt matches your leotard?  Trying to remember which locker is yours?  Whatever you're up to, Get Fit Guy podcast will provide you with a hearty factoid that relates to exercise.  Topics may include:
     
    • Is exercising in pollution bad for you?
    • Caveman Fitness Lessons
    • How to Run Barefoot
    • Fitness Tips for Seniors
     
    Information about new studies in the field of Running a Mile Without Puking is presented in a thorough manner without being boring.  Greenfield often adds on videos and links when he describes exercise moves/techniques, so he really puts in the effort to make sure his audience can develop new and improved workout routines.  It's nice when a podcast really cares, you know?
     
    Content RatingClean (and jerk).  This is a podcast that watches its posture carefully. 

    Average Episode Length:  On average, the episodes are about six to ten minutes long, providing the perfect amount of content for you to take in while you slowly flex at your bathroom mirror. 

    Drinking Game:  Get a bottle of Wheatgrass.  Every day that you don't do something to improve your health, take a swig of that stuff as punishment.  Glargh

    Release Schedule:  Once a week on Saturday.

    MusicGet Fit Guy has this nice beat at the front and back.  It's good!  Reminds of when I walk by the Zumba classes.

    Unintentionally Good Part:  This podcast inspired me to do a push-up.  I know!  I was surprised as you are!

    Unintentionally Bad Part:  You will feel guilty about your neglected gym membership while listening to this podcast.

    Unrelated rating:  Two ice cream sandwiches that you hid in the back of the freezer and forgot about until you really deserved them out of three.

  2. Kickstarter Funded Podcasts

    Friday, May 10, 2013

    As you know from reading all of my reviews, I celebrate a few, crucial things about podcasts:

    • You can listen to them as you please, at your own pace and often while doing other, menial tasks (thereby making the task enjoyable).
    • You can super-easily skip content you dislike, and replay content you do like.
    • Podcasts are easy to get on lots of different mediums.
    • Podcasts are free.
    That last one?  Free is a big thing.  You can, and should, go on to support your favorite podcasts monetarily, but free is amazing when you want to sample 20 different podcasts to find the 4 that you will enjoy for years.

    But right now, I'mma tell you something.  Something that no one on the Internet wants to hear.

    Sometimes?  Sometimes you have to buy some stuff.  Which leads me to Kickstarted funded podcasts.

    Kickstarter funded podcasts were just brought to my attention by Penny Arcade.  They're bringing their excellent podcast back at a pay-as-you-choose price, and you can get in on it early with their Kickstarter for Downloadable Content.  I've already reviewed the existing episodes, and they're bringing it back!  Hooray!  I love this podcast and will gladly donate to get it back and get PA content back in my ears.

    But did you know that there are lots of podcasts that you can support on Kickstarter?  I didn't, and I review the damn things! 

    Here are some options.

    There are lots of people out there who are asking for your help to create podcasts.  I highly recommend that you go shop around and see if anything catches your fancy.  Your donation could help fuel the next #1 iTunes podcast!  Or you could just help a few people make something that you will enjoy.  Check it out! 

  3. Reader, I have a confession to make before we get into this review.  I'm not particularly proud about this, but here at ViddyViddy I try to maintain the sense of dignity and transparent business practices that brought you to these podcast reviews in the first place, so here it is:

    I gave up on listening to a good podcast.

    Gave up!  I found a good, strong podcast and I tried to listen to it and then it made my brain cramp up and I felt like something in the internal workings of my brain snapped and now I can't write in cursive anymore.  Read the mission statement from their website while I go lie down in a dimly lit room.

    The Partially Examined Life is a philosophy podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don't have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we're talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion.
    Relevant Links:
    Main Site!
    Get the podcast and check out archives here!  You can subscribe via the handy-dandy buttons on the top-right side of the page.
    Shop/Donate
    Twitter!
    Comments!

    Content RatingExplicit.  Ye be warned.

    Average Episode Length:  About an hour or two.  Looks like most episodes will give you about an hour and forty-five minutes of content. 

    Drinking Game Song:

     

    Hosts Mark Linsenmayer, Seth Paskin, Wes Alwan, Dylan Casey, and Daniel Horne welcome you into the world of philosophical discussion with open arms and willing hearts and minds.  They have created a podcast wherein anyone can listen to the concepts proposed by the greatest philosophers mankind has to offer in an accessible, understandable manner.  There is humor!  Intelligent discussion!  A chance to open your mind to a wider realm of thought!

    And it breaks my little brain to try and listen.

    I tried, I mean I really tried but honest to anything my brain started catching fire around the 15 minute mark of each episode.  I would be following well enough and they the host throw a sentence like this in:

    The sign is divided between the signifier and the signified, and the signified is actually a concept or an idea.  So the signifier signifies the signified but it's not signifying or referring to a real object in the world it's actually referring to an idea or a concept.  
    That would be the point where I started smelling burnt toast.   

    But I still want to share this podcast with you, because holy-moly a group of people are making an effort to make philosophy accessible!  That's amazing!  I love this podcast, and when I have the proper time I plan to actually sit and listen to it, pausing at times to let my brain cool down. 

    Release Schedule:  Looks like there is a new episode twice a month. 


    Unintentionally Good Part:  Dude, a group of people have put forth the effort to make philosophy accessible.  And they make intermittent jokes about what they're talking about!

    Unintentionally Bad Part:  Takes my full attention to listen to this podcast.  I prefer to be able to listen to a podcast during my daily tasks, and ya just can't, ya just can't I tells ya!

    Unrelated rating: